Summary
Fallout 2designer John Deiley discussed his original idea for the intelligent deathclaws of Vault 13, and how they were unceremoniously killed off before they could be developed further as a concept. Even though theFalloutfranchise has always been known for its special brand of humor contrasted against the bleakness of a post-apocalyptic wasteland,Fallout 2is widely viewed as the entry where its humor is front and center. The wasteland is littered with pop-culture references, from Monty Python toThe Terminator, and even the player protagonist being ironically referred to as The Chosen One exemplifies the overall direction thatFallout 2decided to take.
While each corner ofFallout 2toys with radical lore concepts, such as talking plants, ghosts, or radscorpions playing chess, it could be argued that the sapient deathclaws of Vault 13 take the cake.Deathclaws inFalloutare considered to be formidable, terrifying enemies, and taking down a deathclaw is often seen as a rite of passage for new fans of the franchise. However,Fallout 2subverts this concept entirely by placing them in the role of pacifists who escaped from the Enclave and began a community of their own inside Vault 13.
This idea came from the mind of John Deiley, who recentlysat down with TheGamer for an interviewaboutFallout 2’s intelligent deathclaws and what it was like to work with Chris Avellone. He was asked byFallout 2director Feargus Urquhart to design something unique forVault 13, which eventually led to Deiley pitching the idea of sapient deathclaws that could talk. Urquhart was ecstatic about the concept and gave Deiley permission to go ahead with production.
Though Chris Avellone deemed it too silly for the setting, Deiley defended his idea. “I mean, you’ve got super mutants, you’ve got ghouls, why not have something that can stand up to the super mutants?” His long-term plan for the deathclaws was to have them emigrate from the vault infutureFalloutgames, and try to establish a civilization. “There was going to be an internal conflict with them, the devil within. They were planning, once they were more secure, on altering power armor to fit their physique. And then they were going to pay the Enclave a visit and get as many vials of the FEV virus as they could, kidnap a scientist or two, and make some improvements.”
“I mean, you’ve got super mutants, you’ve got ghouls, why not have something that can stand up to the super mutants?” - John Deiley
However, it was not to be. One day, as Deiley was walking down the hallway, he saw Feargus Urquhart in a programmer’s office, working on Vault 13. They had decided to cut the location from theFalloutgame, but instead of removing it entirely, the intelligent deathclaws in the final version ofFallout 2are wiped out by the Enclave and Frank Horrigan, their super mutant Secret Service agent clad in power armor. WhileFallouthas a deathclaw companionin Goris, he and Xarn remain the only members of their kind after the events ofFallout 2, making any future appearances unlikely.
